Wish You Were Here
by nana31rauna
Summary: Emily is heartbroken after Paige's departure in 5x14. Why is Paige ignoring her? My version of 5x14 aftermath. This is a PAILY story.
1. Chapter 1

WISH YOU WERE HERE

 **A/U: This is slightly AU. This is basically my version of what happens after Paige's departure in 5x14. There is no 'A' in this story. Hope you like it!**

 **note: English isn't my first language so I apologise for any grammatical errors or inconsistencies in facts. lol**

" _This isn't fair"_

" _Maybe not, but right now this is what's supposed to happen to us."_

 _The airport was buzzing but time stood still for Paige and Emily. They both knew Paige had to go, they both knew they had to say their goodbyes. Without wasting any more time they both devoured each other in a long, hungry kiss._

 _The moment Paige walked away, Emily could feel her heart break even more._

Every night since Paige left, before Emily could find peace in her slumber, she would repeat her conversation in the airport with Paige in her head. She was trying to make sense of everything. What did Paige mean when she said _right now this is what's supposed to happen to us?_ Does that mean they will be together again in the future? Emily tried to be optimistic but the sharp pain in heart wont let her.

Saying goodbye to the love of her life was one of the worst moments in Emily's life but nothing could prepare her for the days after Paige left Rosewood. She was expecting a call or a text the next morning from Paige but no, there was none. At first she thought maybe, just maybe, Paige was busy settling down or maybe her phone ran out of battery. But after a week of no contact, Emily began to worry. Emily did her part too she tried everything she could, from calling, texting, emailing and even writing her a letter, but to no avail. It didn't make any sense to Emily. Why was Paige ignoring her?

It had been 5 months since Paige left and Emily had no choice but to try and forget about her girlfriend. She hated talking about it so neither of her friends brought the topic up whenever Emily was around. The girls loved Paige and deep down they were hopeful that Paige had a good reason for why she had disappeared.

Emily was still devastated and her heart was obviously still broken but slowly she was beginning to feel normal again. She tried her best to focus all her energy on swimming. Yes, swimming. One of the things she enjoyed doing with Paige. Practice was hard; the smell of chlorine, the swimming itself reminded her of Paige. It was bittersweet but swimming was also the place where she could forget about everything else and just relaxed. It was weird though she thought, a month after Paige left, her arms began to cooperate and she could swim like before. Well, not as fast or as skillfully as before but the fact she could swim again brought her so much delight. If only Paige was around to witness this..

* * *

It was a gloomy Tuesday afternoon but Emily was oddly joyful. This was really rare but today she was extra excited about swimming practice. It was probably because she could feel her arms getting better and she knew if she practiced more she could swim like before.

It was lunchtime and as usual, the girls were eating at their spot. They were all busy with their food, clearly hungry after a very long morning.

"Oh shoot! It's nearly practice time! I need to go. I'll call you girls later, okay?" Emily said to her best friends quickly as she gathered all her stuff and rushed in the direction of the locker room.

The girls all looked up and smiled at Emily. They were genuinely happy she was swimming again.

"I'm glad she's swimming again. Just wished Paige was here though.. I miss her." Hanna said.

The three girls knew they all missed Paige. Paige was one of the few people who could make Emily happy, like, really happy.

"It's unfortunate that things didn't work they way they wanted to" Spencer said in a sad tone.

"Yeah. But I don't know, I have a feeling they'll be back together.. eventually" Aria added.

Emily was in the locker room changing into her swimming costume as fast as she could; she was feeling excited and nervous with a hint of fear. She was both excited and nervous for swimming in general but in fear of Coach Fulton because she didn't want to be late and get yelled in front of the team. She found herself smiling as she thought about the time she and Paige were yelled at for being late for practice. It was all Paige's fault. They were fooling around during lunch, which continued in the locker room causing them both to be late.

"Hey Emily, It's really good to see you swim again" The familiar voice pulled her from her thought. She looked up and it was Sydney.

Emily smiled, "thanks, Sydney."

"How's Paige anyway? Bet she's thrilled now you're back in the pool!"

Emily's smile faded and her heart suddenly became heavy. All she wanted to do now was to cry but she quickly regained composure and tried to smile again, "She.." She was torn between lying and telling the truth but she was interrupted by Coach Fulton's voice ordering them to go to the pool. Saved by the bell she thought.

"Alright, team. As you all know nationals will be in three months and that's soon. Representatives from different colleges will be there so if you girls want a good school, you need to impress them. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Coach!" all the girls in the swimming team answered eagerly in unison.

"To get into a good school, you must be smart in both your academics and your swimming. Apply all the techniques we have been practicing. I know each one of you is capable of getting a scholarship, be it an academic scholarship or a swimming scholarship. I am here to help all of you to get that. But today I will not be alone to coach you." Coach Fulton continued.

All the girls in the swimming team looked at each other and wondered curiously who it was. Emily was excited because two coaches meant that her chance of getting better would be doubled. She had a huge smile across her face and looked at her teammates who were as excited as her.

"So it is great honor to welcome back this talented athlete to Rosewood.."

 _welcome back?_ Emily thought but the suspense was too much for her to think

"Not only is she a pro at swimming but she was also in field hockey"

 _oh no Emily thought.._

"Team, please give your warmest welcome to our very own shark, Paige Mccullers!"

 **To be continued..**

 **Comments are greatly appreciated**

 **Tell me if you want me to continue!**

 **Thank you**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys :) Thank you for the favs, follows and comments! Hope you enjoy chapter 2, it was fun to write but I apologise for it being short. Thanks again!**

 **Guest(s): Thank you. Hope you enjoy chapter 2!**

 **Warrior29: Wow, thank you! It means a lot coming from you cos I absolutely love your stories especially "Tell Her" 3 Hope you enjoy Chapter 2.**

 **PailyLOver: Enjoy chapter 2!**

 **REZ18: Thank you :) Hope you enjoy chapter 2!**

 **An: Thank you, here's chapter 2 :)**

 **Paily2001: thanks. Enjoy chapter 2!**

 **Brittaneyhubmann: Thanks! Yeah, I don't like being sad in general haha and Paily deserves all the happiness in the world. Hope you'll enjoy chapter 2**

"Team, please give your warmest welcome to our very own shark, Paige McCullers!"

Emily did not know what to think. She was panicking inside and the lump in her throat wasn't helping. Tears were building in her eyes and she was on the verge of crying but she knew she had to stop whatever she was feeling inside. She was beginning to feel calmer now but deep down she could feel herself getting more nervous. Yes, Emily was mad, angry with Paige for ignoring her but seeing her again after 5 long, torturing months was making Emily really anxious. She wasn't sure what she was going to say or do when they finally meet.

Her thought was interrupted when she felt a hand on her shoulder, "No wonder you didn't say anything when I asked about Paige!" Sydney's teasing took her by surprise. Emily didn't know what to respond so she simply smiled and nodded.

Emily's nerves doubled when she heard the door of the gym slowly open. All the girls in the team, including Emily focused where the sound was coming from and were greeted with an excited Coach Fulton welcoming one beaming Paige McCullers.

 _Wow_ was the first thing that popped in Emily's mind.

Paige looked different; the first thing Emily noticed was her skin. She was tanned and it was ridiculously beautiful. The next thing Emily noticed was Paige's hair, it was longer now and the streaks of blonde were darker than before. Her body was different too. She was always toned but this was a different kind of toned. Paige must have been working out a lot because it showed, it really did. Afraid of getting caught by Paige, she reluctantly looked away and focused her eyes and attention on Coach Fulton.

"Okay, team. I don't think I need to introduce any further. I'll just let Paige do the talking then" Coach Fulton began to speak.

Paige slowly made her way closer to the girls, "Hey everyone! It's really good to be back-"

"We all missed you, Paige!" Sydney interrupted and the whole team joined. Coach Fulton smiled proudly and then said, "Okay, team that's enough. Let Paige talk."

"So anyway, as I was saying. I'm here to help you guys get noticed. It's not easy but it's achievable. I'll be in Rosewood for a month or so since I'm on my break. So please, if you guys have any questions in or out of the pool, just ask" Paige spoke in a chilled tone.

"Let's get started then." Coach Fulton announced. "Line up, girls and Paige, I'll leave them to you. I'll be in my office if you need me" she added before she left.

"Okay, girls lets-" Paige began to talk but stopped as she her eyes met Emily's. They both couldn't look away. After what it seemed like forever, Paige finally peeled her eyes away from Emily. "Umm so anyway, I'm going to look at how you swim today. I'll be at the end of the pool and you guys need to use everything you learnt and swim to me. Got it?" she continued again and everyone in the team nodded.

"Alright, I have the name list here. We'll start with the first name on here. Amy Grant?" Paige asked.

"She went home. She's ill." one of the girls in the team responded.

"Oh, alright. Okay next on the list is.. Em.." Paige's voice was now lower than before. She cleared her throat and continued, "next on the list is Emily Fields." Emily looked up and caught Paige's eyes, both girls clearly uncomfortable with the whole situation. The tension between them was so intense Emily had to look away.

The team, who was clearly oblivious with what was going between the two started cheering and whistling trying to tease the couple. "Wuhooo! Have fun, guys!" Sydney cheered playfully.

"Uhh okay let's get started then" Paige finally regained her composure and made her way to the end of the pool.

 **To be continued..**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys. I felt so guilty about how short chapter 2 is so here's a longer chapter for y'all. Thanks for the support guys. Hope you'll enjoy this one! :)**

"Uhh okay let's get started then" Paige finally regained her composure and made her way to the end of the pool.

Emily felt everything from betrayal to anger but at the same time butterflies were attacking her already nervous gut. She was confused, why was she feeling this way? She was supposed to feel angry. Paige ignored her after all. But seriously why was Emily feeling all these mixture of emotions?

She gathered all her thoughts and walked towards the pool but before she went in she turned around to her teammates and saw how cheerful and pumped they were. They were never this excited, well maybe once or twice but they were never this enthusiastic for a practice before. It took a while for Emily to realize that it must be Paige. Paige was making them so buzzed with energy. The girls have always loved Paige. But then again who didn't? This not only made Emily smile but she became more nervous too. Her nerves were making her feel doubtful though, what if her arm wouldn't cooperate in the water? What would Paige think? She doubted herself but it was too late to back out now, as her body was now half way in the water. She tried to clear her head and focused on the task.

"You can do it, Emily!" One of the girls shouted.

Emily inhaled and exhaled slowly and began to swim slowly, carefully making sure to not put too much pressure on her arm and shoulders. Paige, who was at the end of the pool was smiling proudly and cheered on silently.

Half way through the pool, Emily was becoming more confident but the doubts came back. She was slowing down and suddenly she forgot about all the techniques and skills she had in her and her swimming became really awkward. She stopped all movements and stood in the water breathing heavily. Paige knew what was happening and without a second to spare, she swam quickly across the pool to where Emily was.

"Em, are you okay?" Paige was clearly worried.

The other girl was still breathing heavily, "I - I can't swim" and her facial expression broke Paige's heart. Emily was scared. But Paige knew she had to say something quickly before she broke down even more.

"Em.. listen to me. You can do this. I know you and you got this. Remember what you told me when I was done with swimming? You told me to enjoy myself, swim for myself and have fun. This, today is just practice."

Emily smiled shyly, clearly convinced.

"How about this. Lets finish this together. I'll swim by your side. Just remember to have fun" Paige added before positioning herself next to Emily. "Are you ready, Em?" Emily nodded and with that they both swam beautifully to the end of the pool. The team cheered and made their way to Emily and as soon as she got out of the pool they hugged and celebrated her little victory. This made Paige feel warm inside and was glad she was there to witness it.

Practice continued as usual after that with all the girls showing off their skills trying to impress Paige. Emily was with Sydney sitting at the bleachers discussing about something when Paige appeared, "Hey girls, you both did well today. Sydney, you need to make sure you improve your stamina. You were good but I need to see you better. Okay?"

"Yes, ma'am! I'm so glad you're back Paige." Sydney replied with a huge smile plastered across her face.

"Thanks, Sydney. I'm glad to be back too. Umm Emily, can I talk to you?" Paige asked in a somewhat nervous tone.

"Yeah, sure." Emily responded and with that Sydney excused herself from them and went straight to the pool just meters away from them.

Emily was nervous. She was having a great time, enjoying herself after the swim and she didn't want anything to spoil her mood. Deep down she didn't want Paige to bring up anything related to them. She just wanted to savor the moment. "Look, Paige. Please I just want to enjoy this. Can we not talk about anything else other than right now?" her voice was low.

Paige smiled and said "Of course, Em. I just wanted to know how you're feeling." She smiled and continued "I am happy that you're back swimming again and I meant it when I said earlier, about doing well today"

"Oh, sorry. I'm feeling better now. Thanks, Paige" Emily replied and they both sat silently on the bleachers watching the other girls swim.

The practice ended not long after their conversation. Paige really wanted to see Emily and talk some more but some of the girls from the team kept Paige busy with all their endless questions about swimming, college and Cali. So she gave up her wish and was hopeful that practice the next day would give her that opportunity. Emily, on the other hand was glad they didn't talk because she was afraid of not being able to control her feelings and things would probably end up badly. So she left without looking back.

After school she went straight back home and before she collapsed on her bed, she quickly sent a text to Hanna telling about Paige being back. Immediately after she texted, Hanna texted back saying she was on her way to her house and will be there in 10 minutes. _Typical Hanna_ Emily thought, she was actually too tired to talk but knowing Hanna, she didn't have a chance. Exactly 10 minutes later there was a knock on the door.

"Come in, Hanna." Emily said

Hanna opened the door and went straight to where Emily was sitting. "So, tell me everything!"

"Whoa, hello to you too, Hanna" Emily rolled her eyes.

"Yeah yeah hello hi whatever, just tell me everything!" clearly Hanna was excited

Emily told her everything with no details left behind and she was expecting Hanna to be as shocked as she was but judging from Hanna's face, there was was more excitement than surprise.

"So are you guys together again?" Hanna questioned curiously

"Hann.. Incase you forgot, Paige didn't respond to any of my texts, emails, letters. Why would we be together again?" she replied quickly, rolling her eyes. "But it was weird, Han. I mean she – It was awkward and I felt the tension but she was acting normal, as if she was the victim in all of this when clearly she was the one who ignored me as soon as she left Rosewood"

"Really? I don't know, Em. Maybe I should talk to her?" Hanna asked

"Well that's up to you. I mean she's your friend too you know. You don't have to talk to her for me" Emily replied

"Sure, Em." Now it was Hanna's turn to roll her eyes because she knew how much of a curious person Emily was. "You know.. have you ever thought that maybe she has a good reason for disappearing? like something happened when she was there?" she added.

"Well, I never thought about that but you know a call or a text wouldn't hurt" Emily replied in a sad tone.

"Don't worry, Em. I believe Paige's a good person. Whatever it was I'm sure she had a good reason" Hanna responded and pulled Emily into a hug.

Later that night, Emily was in bed trying hard to sleep but her thoughts went back to the events that happened during practice earlier that day. She tried hard to think why Paige was acting normal, like nothing had happened. She was getting angrier and all the feelings she had during the 5 months Paige was gone came back and now she was boiling inside. She hated this feeling and wished it could go away but she was hurting inside.

After tossing and turning in bed, finally Emily was calm and she was ready to sleep but a beep from her phone startled her.

It was a text from Paige.

 _Can we talk tomorrow after practice? - P_


End file.
